Loose-leaf storage box

ABSTRACT

A loose-leaf storage box comprising an upper and a lower housing openable and closable relative to each other and is connected by an elongate connecting piece. The connecting piece has thereon more than two integrally molded hooks perpendicular to the connecting piece and being in the shape of “U” each, one of the two vertical rod portions respectively on two ends of a transverse rod portion of each hook is connected with the connecting piece, while the other of the two vertical rod portions is not connected with the connecting piece to form an open end, the open end is able to be raised with a finger to form a notch for receiving loose-leaf collecting sleeves. An outer surface of the open end of the hook has a bottom bevel surface inclined downwards and inwards, so that holes on the loose-leaf collecting sleeves can be slipped over the hooks smoothly to be hooked and fixed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention is related to a loose-leaf storage box, and especially to a storage box convenient for storage of loose leaves, such as loose-leaf sleeves for collecting CDROMs, photos, memory cards or papers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

By advancing of science and technology, media for storage of information changes rapidly. From earlier CD's to CDROMs and recent memory cards, all are thinned and miniaturized. A user can operate a computer in need only of carrying with him memory cards; thereby personal medium storing devices will be more and more able to be carried by one. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a storage box simple in assembling and cheap in manufacturing for collecting media in sheet form.

There is a patent application with a publication No. 553,199 in Taiwan, R.O.C. titled “Loose-leaf type disk receiving box” having clamping members provided on a connecting portion of the box, this is an improvement on conventional prior art, but still is a cumbersome and expensive storing box; another patent application with a publication No. 535,793 in Taiwan, R.O.C. titled “Improved loose-leaf type CD-ROM box” having a plurality of positioning rings shaped on the box, an engaging tape is extended through the positioning rings and is locked on a clasp, thus loose leaves of limited amount can be mounted; the two patens have the defects of being cumbersome in fixing loose leaves, and having multiple parts that are subjected to dropping.

Thereby defects are still there in loose-leaf storage boxes, for VCD and DVD hiring business, the conventional boxes are quite inconvenient, it is necessary to provide a low-cost storage box simple for operating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a loose-leaf storage box applicable to storage of loose leaves, such as loose-leaf sleeves for collecting CD-ROMs, photos, memory cards or papers. The storage box is composed of an upper and a lower housing openable and closable relative to each other and is connected by an elongate connecting piece. The connecting piece has thereon more than two integrally molded hooks perpendicular to the connecting piece and being in the shape of “U” each, one of the two vertical rod portions respectively on two ends of a transverse rod portion of each hook is connected with the connecting piece, while the other of the two vertical rod portions is not connected with the connecting piece to form an open end, the open end is able to be raised with a finger to form a notch for receiving loose-leaf collecting sleeves. Thereby a low-cost loose-leaf storage box simple for operating can be obtained.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a loose-leaf storage box, wherein an outer surface of the open end of each hook has a bottom bevel surface inclined downwards and inwards, so that holes on the loose-leaf collecting sleeves can be slipped over the hooks smoothly to be hooked and fixed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a loose-leaf storage box able to be formed by integral injection molding or extrusion molding, thereby the cost of production of the present invention is cheap and operation of the present invention is convenient for the VCD and DVD hiring business.

And more, the hooks of the loose-leaf storage box of the present invention are in the shape of “U” each, and can be designed to have some other shape, for example a circular ring shape.

The present invention will be apparent in its structural features and functions in operation after reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof in reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a hook of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing actions in operating the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a second kind of hook of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing actions in operating the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is another schematic sectional view showing actions in operating the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 showing a loose-leaf storage box of the present invention, the storage box is composed of an upper and a lower housing 10, 20 openable and closable relative to each other, and a connecting piece 30 having two lateral sides connected with inner sides of the upper and the lower housings 10, 20; the upper and the lower housings 10, 20 each has raised walls 40 on three sides thereof, the side having no raised wall is connected with the connecting piece 30. The connecting piece 30 has thereon at least two hooks 50 to connect multiple loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60. The loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 can be collecting sleeves for CDs, memory cards and photos etc., or loose leaves of papers.

The loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 each has holes 61 on one edge thereof, the holes 61 can be slipped over a hook 50 for collecting.

The main point of designing of the present invention is the hooks 50 being perpendicular to the surface of the connecting piece 30 and integrally molded with the latter. From the sectional view of each hook 50, it is seen that the hook 50 is formed near the surface of the connecting piece 30 an openable hoop 55 with two ends, one of the ends is integrally connected with the connecting piece 30, while the other end is not connected with but is adjacent to the connecting piece 30 to form an open end.

Referring to FIG. 2, the main point of designing of the present invention is the hooks 50 integrally molded and perpendicular to the connecting piece 30, and being in the shape of “U” each. The “U” shaped hooks 50 each has a transverse rod portion 53, a first vertical rod portion 51 and a second vertical rod portion 52 on two ends of the transverse rod portion 53. The first vertical rod portion 51 is integrally connected with and extending from the connecting piece 30 to connect the transverse rod portion 53; while the second vertical rod portion 52 is extended down from the other end of the transverse rod portion 53, and has a bottom end 54 which is not connected with the connecting piece 30 to form an open end.

When the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 are mounted on the hooks 50, referring to FIG. 3, a finger of a user can touch the outer surface of a second vertical rod portion 52 and raise it, the corresponding hook 50 can thus be moved about the junction between the corresponding first vertical rod portion 51 and the connecting piece 30, thereby a bottom end 54 of the second vertical rod portion 52 is separated from the connecting piece 30 to form a notch, and the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 can thus be moved to slide into the notch to have the holes 61 of the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 aligned with the second vertical rod portion 52; then the finger is removed from contact with the second vertical rod portion 52 to render the hook 50 restored to its position shown in FIG. 2, the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 thereby are fixed on the hook 50.

By restoration of the hook 50 to its position shown in FIG. 2, the bottom end 54 of the second vertical rod portion 52 gets close to the connecting piece 30 to make disappearing of the notch, thereby the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 in the notch will not slide out of the hook 50.

And more, referring to FIG. 4, an outer surface of the second vertical rod portion 52 has a bottom bevel surface 541 inclined downwards and inwards, the bottom end 54 of the second vertical rod portion 52 is adjacent to the upper surface of the connecting piece 30, the bottom end 54 can be separated from the connecting piece 30 by exerting a force as is shown with an arrow in FIG. 5 for placing in the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 as is depicted in the drawing.

In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, when the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 are mounted on the hook 50, by virtue that the bevel surface 541 on the open end of the hook 50 renders lateral edges of the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 to slide in along the bevel surface 541 very easily, the holes 61 are slipped over the hook 50 to be hooked and fixed by the hook 50 for turning over the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60. And referring to FIG. 6, when the loose-leaf collecting sleeves 60 slide along the bevel surface 541, the open end of the hook 50 can naturally be pushed away without any extra force to exert on the hook 50 to render the holes 61 to be hooked by the second vertical rod portion 52.

The designing of the present invention makes operation of the collecting sleeves very simple in collecting loose leaves, and it is even more convenient in using particularly for the VCD and DVD hiring business.

Further, referring to FIG. 7, a hook 70 of the present invention is in the shape of a circular ring, and is perpendicular to the surface of the connecting piece 30 and integrally molded with the latter. From the sectional view of each hook 70, it is seen that the hook 70 is formed near the surface of the connecting piece 30 an openable hoop 75 with two ends, one end 76 of the ends is integrally connected with the connecting piece 30, while the other end 74 is not connected with but is adjacent to the connecting piece 30 to form an open end. In operation, a force is exerted on and raises the hook 70 in order that the entire hook 70 can be moved about the end 76 integrally connected with the connecting piece 30, thereby a bottom end of the open end 74 is separated from the connecting piece 30 to form a notch, and loose-leaf collecting sleeves thus are adapted to sliding into the notch to have holes of the loose-leaf collecting sleeves aligned with the hook 70; after releasing the force, the bottom end of the open end 74 restores to the state being adjacent to the connecting piece 30, thus the loose-leaf collecting sleeves are fixed on the hook 70.

The two embodiments of the present invention cited above are only for illustrating, and not for giving any limitation to the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications or changes having the hooks of the present invention integrally connected with the connecting piece and having an open end forming a notch for placing therein in the loose-leaf collecting sleeves shall fall within the scope of the appended claims of the present invention. 

1. A loose-leaf storage box used for receiving loose-leaf collecting sleeves, said storage box comprises: an upper and a lower housing adapted to opening and closing relative to each other; a connecting piece having two lateral sides connected with inner sides of said upper and said lower housings; at least two hooks perpendicular to and integrally molded with said connecting piece, said hooks each is formed near a surface of said connecting piece an openable hoop with two ends, one of said ends is integrally connected with said connecting piece, while the other end is not connected with but with its bottom end adjacent to said connecting piece to form an open end; said loose-leaf collecting sleeves each has holes on one edge thereof at least corresponding by position to said hooks, each of said hooks is adapted to moving about an end thereof integrally connected with said connecting piece, thereby a bottom end of said open end is separated from said connecting piece to form a notch, and loose-leaf collecting sleeves thus are adapted to sliding into said notch to have holes of said loose-leaf collecting sleeves aligned with said hook; after releasing said force, a bottom end of said open end restores to a state being adjacent to said connecting piece, thus said loose-leaf collecting sleeves are fixed on said hook.
 2. The loose-leaf storage box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hooks each is in the shape of “U”, and has a transverse rod portion, a first vertical rod portion and a second vertical rod portion on two ends of said transverse rod portion; said first vertical rod portion is integrally connected with and extending from said connecting piece to connect one of said two ends of said transverse rod portion; while said second vertical rod portion is extended down from the other end of said transverse rod portion, and has a bottom end which is adjacent to said connecting piece to form an open end; each of said hooks is adapted to moving about a junction between said first vertical rod portion of said hook and said connecting piece when said hook is exerted with a raising force, thereby a bottom end of said second vertical rod portion is separated from said connecting piece to form a notch, and said loose-leaf collecting sleeves thus are adapted to moving to slide into said notch to have said holes of said loose-leaf collecting sleeves aligned with said second vertical rod portion; after releasing said force, said bottom end of said second vertical rod portion restores to said state being adjacent to said connecting piece, thus said loose-leaf collecting sleeves are fixed on said hooks.
 3. The loose-leaf storage box as claimed in claim 2, wherein an outer surface of said second vertical rod portion has a bottom bevel surface inclined downwards and inwards.
 4. The loose-leaf storage box as claimed in claim 2, wherein said outer surface of said second vertical rod portion is adapted to being touched and raised with a finger, so that said bottom end of said second vertical rod portion of said hook is separated from said connecting piece to form said notch.
 5. The loose-leaf storage box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hooks each is in the shape of a circular ring. 